Charlie makes breakfast to Science Bitch
by Kiriahtan
Summary: The scientist is always very good and toughful with Charlie so this time Charlie wants to return him the favor. This is how Charlie embarks himself on the adventure of making breakfast to the scientist on this pretty saturday morning. (It turns out to be not as easy as he thought).


I read almost all Charlie/Scientist fics and searched for all the fanarts and I loved them a lot so I want to write something short and... this happened. I was in the right mood for cuteness and fluff.

I take the name Harper for the scientists from killerweasel series "A favor" because I liked so much the reference to Torchwood! I think it was a really good idea. I hope there is no trouble about it.

Notice that english isn't my native tongue and this is unbeta. Feel free to point any mistakes (please, do it so I can improve!)

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 **"Charlie makes breakfast to Science Bitch"**

8:34 a.m.

On Saturday

[Science Bitch's Flat]

The light was straining through the window and the sheet had a soft touch and a floral aroma of detergent, instead of scratching his bare arms when Charlie wake up that Saturday morning. He was so at ease with being tucked in bed that he could have stayed there all morning. Especially because the heat that radiated a body at his side that wasn't Frank's but the Scientists'. The other man was still deeply asleep and that meant that it had to be very early: the scientist used to wake up soon even if he didn't have to go to work, something that Charlie didn't understand.

Charlie turned to him carefully. It was still strange for him to wake up there in the occasions that he stayed in Harper's apartment, in a bed with clean sheets, or to sleep without hearing the chorus of meows that surrounded his window on his own apartment. Sometimes Charlie felt guilty of all times that Harper invited him to his home. He said that it didn't matter, that he enjoyed his company but... not even Dee or Mac and Dennis were pleasant to invite him to their homes and they knew him from their whole lifes. But the Scientist was really nice with him, with expecting noting in return. It was true that they were dating but Charlie still would like to be able to thank them better.

And perhaps he could do.

Usually Harper woke up before, accustomed as he is to waking up early unlike Charlie, but this time it had occurred the other way around. The scientist sometimes made breakfast for both. That's what Chalie could do today! Make him breakfast! That will be a romantic and thoughtful detail and the scientist deserve it for everything he did for him and how good with him he was.

He went out of the bed, separating the sheets the least he can, carefully to not make any noise. The scientist was a light-sleeper and he didn't want to awake him. How could be sure that he didn't before he had the breakfast ready?

Charlie looked around him, searching of a divine answer. The scientist's room was larger than his own -although, of course, that his own room was all his apartment, not as it happened in Harper's flat- and it was well decorated -intentionally decorated, not the mere accumulation of random thing as in his own place- and Charlie felt a bit lost, trying to orientated himself. Until... Aha! Suddenly his eyes noticed the sleeping mask on a shelf. The scientist didn't use it when they were together but Charlie knew that he wore it always when he was alone because it's difficult for him to sleep with light. That would help to continue sleeping a while longer.

On tiptoe he advanced towards the shelf and caught the item, approaching then to the bed. Harper removed a bit when Charlie grabbed him by the neck carefully. He whispered a soft 'sssshhhh' and Harper didn't wake. Holding his breath and feeling like his muscles were going to shake by the tension, Charlie quickly placed the sleeping mask and leave him lying again. Trying not make noise he ran the curtains to cover the light and fled out of the room.

It was weekend so it was going to be good for the scientist to sleep late.

He crossed the apartment -a real apartment with different rooms and spaces, even if it was only for one person- up to the kitchen.

After entered the room he realized that his mission would not be as easy as he though. To start: the scientist had one of those fancy kitchens with an induction cooker and Charlie had barely used one in his life, accustomed to his hot plate at home. In addition he hadn't logical coffee make, just one of those Nespresso -or kind of- machine which famous announced on TV. Charlie tried to figure out how it worked, holding it and looking at it, but doing that didn't make it clearer. Nevertheless he decided to make a try.

He found the box of capsules in the cupboard and he picked one at random, green because that was his favorite color, and put it into the machine. Well, well. Everything was going well. He pressed the button that must be the power button and...

Nothing happened.

Charlie pressed the button again.

Again nothing happened.

Frustrated Charlie attempted to take the machine in order to look for the capsule and... he tightened somewhere and he heard how the thing swallowed the capsule. Without gave him anything of coffee in return.

"Shit! No. Damnit. Return it, goddamn thing!" He blamed, shaking the Nesspresso. He was about to hit it to see if that started the machine. But at the last moment he realized that that was the Scientist's classy coffee machine and certainly it would be worth more than him so he left it in its place, throwing a last killing-glare to the bitchy thing.

The Nesspresso returned the glare, undaunted.

It seemed that the best he would do was to skip the coffee... That wasn't a good start, definitely.

He tried to open the fridge then. Inside there were eggs but not bacon nor sausages. He checked the kitchen searching for bread but after that the scientist didn't have neither chocolate or peanut butter and what was even worse: cheese neither! And without all of that he couldn't prepare his special toast for breakfast.

Instead he found some things that, to be honest, he didn't even know how they should be used. He took a jar labelled "hummus" - or something like that - and opened it, sniffing at its content. Cautiously he used a finger to taste it a bit... and he was about to spit it. No, no, he couldn't do a breakfast with that to the scientist. Plus he still didn't know how to make work the kitchen. Didn't Harper have cereals even? Yes, he did, but were these brown sticks which seemed very fiber and healthy but very unappetizing too.

Charlie turned, looking for a solution through infuse science.

He only could reach one conclusion: if he couldn't make him breakfast at home, he would have to do it outside.

For a moment he pondered to go to his own apartment and return with a serving plate of his super-toasts. But it was far away and if Frank was there he would ask what he was doing and then he would laugh at him for doing breakfast to his boyfriend. He would say that was for weak and he wasn't weak: he just wanted to treat Harper well, as he treated him well.

So his apartment was ruled out.

Then Charlie realized that the coffee shop where the Waitress was working now was only two blocks from there. It was perfect! He could go there and order a takeaway coffee and back in less than half an hour.

Quickly he dressed in less than five minutes and returned to the room to check if the scientist is still asleep. He was: Harper remained in the same exact position, with the sleep-mask on, as he had left him before. The scientist moved very little while he slept.

"I come back now", Charlie said goodbye in a whisper.

But he stopped himself one more time after leaving the place, thinking that the scientist was asleep just now. But how he could know that he would be asleep while he was away too? He had no way to be sure of that... And then he saw the post-its that Harper used to work and a pen. He picked one to write, with his big and all-caps handwriting. At least he know how to write all letters correctly now, since Harped had taught him to correct his calligraphy. Once he finished, he left the post-in on the sleep-mask, where he was sure that Harper would see it - he thought about the bedside table but what if he wouldn't look at it by a chance? The sleep-mask was better.

'If you wake up: I'm going back in 5 minutes. Don't wake up, don't do anything. Charlie.'

Satisfied he quietly left the apartment and once he was out, he ran to arrive as soon as possible to the coffee shop.

When he arrived there was a queue of people waiting for breakfast and Charlie stood at the end, putting his hands in his jeans' pockets, shifting his weight from one leg to another, nervous. Couldn't the line move faster? Charlie looked out on tiptoe and could watch the Waitress attending to the customers. At least she was there and Charlie smiled a little, relaxing. He was going to get the breakfast for Harper and that was enough to put him in a good mood and, finally, it was his turn.

The Waitress turned toward him with an unfriendly face and her expression declined even more when she recognized him - it would be impossible not to do: Charlie had been stalking her for ten years - but Charlie not even notice it. He neither had wondered why she was a waitress if she was obviously so bad dealing to the public. Charlie only paid attention to her big blue eyes and her short hair and her beautiful cheeks and the fact that she had recognized him.

"Charlie. What are you doing here?" She demanded gruffly.

It sounded almost as if he couldn't to be there when it was a public coffee shop. And he could enter in a coffee shop. Charlie drowned an evident and nervous laugh.

"Me? I just wanted a breakfast. Nothing more", he said as if it was nothing, just like he was going to add a 'not that I was here to spy on you, well wouldn't you know' but the Waitress knew him long ago and never believed him. Even though Charlie was dating a scientist - a mas - as she had heard. That was an absurd story and Charlie was there, harassing her at work as usual. What further proof she needed?

"A breakfast?" She repeated skeptical. It was too early for Charlie being there. But she accepted it. Neither had she wanted to discuss with him. "Okay. What breakfast do you want?" She asked him almost as a challenge.

"Uhhh... give me a moment." The presence of the Waitress always overshadowed him and he had forgotten to think what he was going to ask for exactly. For hers and the other customers who were waiting behind him exasperation he took the menu now to search which options were, reading them slowly and intentionally to pick the best option. The Waitress wheezing a 'What, Charlie?' to hurry him but he ignored her until he finally said: "Thiiiiiis one, pleaaase". He requested, pointing out it in the menu. It had coffee, orange juice, eggs with bacon and asparagus, which were vegetables and would make Harper happy, who liked to eat healthfully. "Takeaway", he added later.

"Takeaw...?" The Waitress was about to repeat it with astonishment. Who asks a breakfast to takeaway? "Never mind. Takeaway, okay", she decided that she preferred to not put up with Charlie more than necessary, plus with the queue. She had no idea of why he wanted a takeaway breakfast but she didn't want to know either.

"It's for Harper", Charlie explained however.

"Whatever. Now get away, Charlie, there are more people waiting", asked her to attend the next customer.

The man, immune to the surly mood of the woman, want to the end of the bar to wait for his order, seeing how the Waitress dispatched the customers without any patience but trying to smile.

He was pleased of see her after a week.

Ten minutes later the line had disappeared and the coffee shop was full of sitting people, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.

"Here you have, Charlie", the Waitress appeared again. "It's 7.50 dollars", she informed him.

And Charlie, who just take the box which the Waitress has to dig to find and which inside was his breakfast - he looked inside, checking it -, stopped and returned her the glace, opening his mouth.

"Oh..."

The surprise in his expression was genuine and the Waitress immediately knew what it meant.

"No way, Charlie...", she began to speak but he interrupted her quickly.

"I have no money. Cannot you… I don't know, put it on my tab?" He even had think of take anything with him when he had left the scientist's apartment. He was so focused in his plan that he hadn't though that he could need money. He could have checked his pockets but he knew that he wasn't carrying anything with him: he remembered clearly putting his last dollar on coins in the Paddy's register the previous evening after taking three beers with the Gang.

He knew that expression on the Waitress' face and he knew that she was about to tell him no again and perhaps to shout at him, so he tried to get ahead in an attempt to make her understand:

"Please! Give it to me for free! Do to me this favor, please! I just wanted to make breakfast to Harper for all the times that he did for me. It's very important", he tried to explain in a rush. "I promise that I will compensate it to you!"

"Definitely not! I can't do that! This is my work, Charlie!" She hissed low to not attract attention from anyone in the local. Although already did it for both, as always. But he didn't want her to be fired again because of him. "And oh my God! Is true that story then?" She exclaimed incredulous.

"That story?" Charlie repeated without understanding. But that wasn't the important thing now as he remembered suddenly: "Pay it for me, please", he tried at the last moment. "I'll compensate it!"

"I don't want to you compensating anything-… Charlie!" The Waitress screamed all of sudden.

But it was too late and Charlie had already left the coffee shop running with the breakfast in arms and shouting 'Thank you!' as if she had accepted the deal.

But that didn't bother him. As always Charlie seemed to live in his own reality, no matter that it didn't fit with the rest of the world, and the Waitress contained a cry of frustration before returning to work because she had no choice but surrendering.

Perhaps he shouldn't fled running with the box but he had already decided to take Harper the breakfast to bed that day and he could not waste more time. The scientist deserved it. He would find the way to apologize to the Waitress other day.

But when he returned to the apartment he found that the curtains were open again and he stopped himself at the moment of crossing the door, noticing something was out of place... And then the scientist appeared, awake and on his feet, without his sleep-mask.

Shit, he was too late... Charlie started to curse himself internally.

"That have been more than five minutes", greeted him the other man with a smile in spite of everything. "What is that?" He asked when he noticed the box in Charlie's hands. Charlie hoped that it was in one piece after running two blocks with it in his arms.

"Uhh... Have you had breakfast already?" Charlie tried to tests the waters, nervous to see endangered his plan.

To his relief the scientist denied with the head.

"No. I read your note but I was beginning to worry about you", explained Harper.

And Charlie released his breath with relief. Did that meant that he hadn't moved from the bed? Although Harper was awake his plan could go ahead. It also meant that his handwriting had been good enough for him to understand it.

"Alright! Then don't get up, I'm coming", he said, leaving the box to organize everything, searching for a tray in the kitchen. Upon seeing him, the scientist advanced, clearly surprised and disconcerted to see him get a plate of a scrambled eggs from the box.

"... is that the breakfast?" He wondered just in case and then Charlie realized that he hadn't returned to the bed.

Charlie nodded effusively. Fortunately the Waitress had put the coffee in a cup with a lip and was embedded in the box, with a carton, so it hadn't poured out.

"Yes. I wanted to do it here but you don't have cheese or peanut butter and your coffeemaker swallowed the capsule and... so I went to pick it out", he concluded, trying to explain himself the whole story without a clear order. "It isn't the same but..."

Now he felt a bit embarrassed about his odyssey...

But the scientist smiled a bit, seeing everything that Charlie had organized against the clock while he was in bed. And it was only the nine-thirty in the morning. Usually at that time Charlie was deep asleep, belly-up in the sheets.

"Thank you very much, Charlie. It is perfect", he said, approaching to kiss him.

Harper surrounded Charlie's wait with his hands, gently turning him a bit. Charlie's lips were just rough like his hard life and the kiss was superficial, fondly and long -a good morning and thanks. The other man neven tense like the first time they had kissed months ago and when they both separated, Charlie was smiling also. A cozy smile and a warm glance.

Looking at the tray with breakfast Harper realized in a detail, as observant as a scientist should be.

"But, Charlie... have you only brought one breakfast?"

And, by his face, it was like his words were those that make him realize that, indeed, he only focused his efforts on getting the breakfast for Harper, as if he weren't going to eat. He forget completely about himself.

"Uh... yes", he admitted at the end. "I wanted to do a breakfast to you", Charlie explained, mumbling a bit. "It doesn't matter..." he tried to play it down.

The scientist laugh under his breath, touched.

"This can't be", Harper said immediately. "Do you want a coffee?" He offered. "Did you said the machine has swallowed one of the capsules? Let's see what happened..." He approached to the Nespresso. Surely it wasn't a problem of the machine but that Charlie had failed to understand with it. Nothing that he could not solve for sure.

Charlie still seemed a bit overwhelmed. He wanted to do something for Harper, not that Harper had to work in the morning... take it to the bed while Harper was resting... The plan had not gone as he had hoped but he found himself contemplating how Harper make a coffee to complete the breakfast tray. When harper did the breakfast they used to take it in the kitchen table or on the couch as much. That time Harper left Charlie to take him to the bedroom again and Charlie took himself the tray for breakfast sitting between the sheets peacefully that Saturday morning.

 **END**


End file.
